Credit cards are used for many purposes. For example, credit cards may be used to purchase goods or services without paper cash. A customer may purchase chocolate candy bars using a credit card.
Further, credit cards may be used as a credit screening tool. A provider of goods or services may accept a small deposit (or not require any deposit) from a customer that has a valid credit card. Additionally, a credit card facilitates any purchase that requires future regular billing, such as a monthly cellular telephone service. Further, a provider or merchant may be unwilling to or unable to accept cash for certain transactions. Compared to other forms of payment, paper cash is generally considered risky and expensive due to the potential for theft and the high transaction costs of handling paper cash.
Generally, an automated credit-card transaction begins and ends at an authorization terminal in the store (a POS or point-of-sale). The typical steps for a credit card sale include:                the merchant reads the account number and expiration date coded on the magnetic strip (this data is generally also embossed on the card),        the account number and expiration date are associated with a purchase amount,        the data is transmitted to a merchant's bank,        the data is forwarded (through a communications network) to whichever bank issued the customer's credit card,        the card issuing bank calls the appropriate account and checks the contents, particularly the outstanding balance and the card's credit limit (which determine the available credit)        the card issuing bank may consider additional information to determine whether the transaction should be allowed (to reduce fraud)        if the request is endorsed (the transaction is allowed), then the card issuing bank notifies the merchant using an approval code, and the card issuing bank promptly stores the new balance in the data base        finally, the merchant receives the approval code, and the sale is completed.        
Alternately, a credit card service (for example, VISA™) may consolidate records from many different banks into one central database, and handle the request as the bank's agent or intermediary for the above transactions.
Further, accelerated and abbreviated procedures may be convenient for small transactions. For example, the merchant or the credit card service may merely compare the account number against a list of valid account numbers. Also, the signature requirement may be waived for small transactions. The commercial advantages of substantially speeding the purchase transaction for small items may outweigh the disadvantages of an increase in the number of small losses.
Debit cards function similarly, except that that the card issuing bank will simply immediately reduce the value of the customer's account by the value of the purchase.
If a purchase transaction occurs online, then generally the CVV (card verification value) from the back of the credit card is required as an added security measure to reduce fraud.
However, credit cards have certain limitations. It takes time and effort to obtain a credit card. Some people (or companies) may be unable to obtain credit cards due to poor credit. Some people may have credit cards, but may wish to avoid using the credit cards in order to avoid high interest rates on any outstanding balance. Some people may have credit cards, but may not have sufficient available credit to make the desired purchase. Some people may have credit cards, but may wish to make a purchase without creating an accounting trail linking the credit card to the purchase (for example, a husband may wish to purchase a surprise gift of jewelry for his wife's birthday). Additionally, obtaining a typical credit card often requires substantial time, effort, and transaction costs.
Thus, there is a need for a temporary card that may be quickly purchased with cash, and may be used in place of a credit card for purchasing under some circumstances. Additionally, there is a need for a system adapted to provide and to process a temporary card.